15th January 2008
Hi niki. My name is Nikki, too...
Im sorry to hear about your diagnosis- but you will survive this, we all have! You will be around for your grandchildren and if more children are really what you want, then the option of not starting meds right away is there....
MS is a very tricky disease, it doesnt always progress, although it is progressive. In the 14 months I have had it, I havent progressed at all-
Relapses, new symtoms and occasional bouts of "bad days' are a part of the disease, however they do not always mean progression. I take Rebif, one of the drugs you mentioned...I love it. Its 3 days a week and it takes me 10 minutes from start to finish and I go on with my day/night. IN the beginning there are side effects to almost all the drugs...with the interferons (rebif, avonex and betaseron) they DO go away....with copaxone, you wont have the flu like symtoms, but many people dont like injecting every single day and alot of people complain of injection site reactions...its a toss up....but if you decided you wanted to get pregnant now, and wait to start the drugs after you deliver, no one would blame you.
You mentioned white streaking in the MRI, thats not MS; however, lesions, which appear as white dots- do indicate MS when they have the size, placement, etc. Some lesions can be caused by headaches, migranes, brain trauma, etc and have NOThing to do with MS....are you 100% sure of your dx? Do you trust your doctor completely? Many of us see regular Neuros in the begining and go on to find MS specialists who help us thru more specific MS issues...you might want to see one for a second opinion if you have doubts...
Meanwhile, denial is a lousy place to be- and MS is NOT the end of the world...welcome to our world of support and if we can help you, please shout out.
Nikki
PS I spent a year in Cleveland TN as well as Soddy Daisy and Chattanooga...its a wonderful place to live with excellent doctors in nearby areas. Take advantage of the excellent health care which is offered there and see every specialist you can!
Im sorry to hear about your diagnosis- but you will survive this, we all have! You will be around for your grandchildren and if more children are really what you want, then the option of not starting meds right away is there....
MS is a very tricky disease, it doesnt always progress, although it is progressive. In the 14 months I have had it, I havent progressed at all-
Relapses, new symtoms and occasional bouts of "bad days' are a part of the disease, however they do not always mean progression. I take Rebif, one of the drugs you mentioned...I love it. Its 3 days a week and it takes me 10 minutes from start to finish and I go on with my day/night. IN the beginning there are side effects to almost all the drugs...with the interferons (rebif, avonex and betaseron) they DO go away....with copaxone, you wont have the flu like symtoms, but many people dont like injecting every single day and alot of people complain of injection site reactions...its a toss up....but if you decided you wanted to get pregnant now, and wait to start the drugs after you deliver, no one would blame you.
You mentioned white streaking in the MRI, thats not MS; however, lesions, which appear as white dots- do indicate MS when they have the size, placement, etc. Some lesions can be caused by headaches, migranes, brain trauma, etc and have NOThing to do with MS....are you 100% sure of your dx? Do you trust your doctor completely? Many of us see regular Neuros in the begining and go on to find MS specialists who help us thru more specific MS issues...you might want to see one for a second opinion if you have doubts...
Meanwhile, denial is a lousy place to be- and MS is NOT the end of the world...welcome to our world of support and if we can help you, please shout out.
Nikki
PS I spent a year in Cleveland TN as well as Soddy Daisy and Chattanooga...its a wonderful place to live with excellent doctors in nearby areas. Take advantage of the excellent health care which is offered there and see every specialist you can!